palaeolithic

Meaningold stone

Common meaning: of the early Stone Age

palaeold, ancientLiddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), p. 586 · scan
litha stoneLiddell & Scott, Greek-English Lexicon (1883), p. 893 · scan
icadjective ending: relating to

‘old, ancient’ + ‘a stone’ → palaeolithic

Journey through time

Neither part’s path through time is traced in our sources yet; each root is shown from its dictionary entry.

palae — Greek παλαιός “old, ancient” (dictionary form; path not traced)
lith — Greek λίθος “a stone” (dictionary form; path not traced)

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

UK IPA: not available. Respelling: generated.
US IPA: not available. Respelling: generated.

Origin: Built on Greek παλαιός ‘old, ancient’ + Greek λίθος ‘a stone’.

Did you know (Greek lithos, "a…): our wording, based on Liddell & Scott, Greek-English Lexicon (1883), entry λίθος, p. 893 · dictionary scan

Did you know (Greek palaios, old,…): our wording, based on Liddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), entry παλαιός, p. 586 · dictionary scan

Roots

λίθος Greek “a stone”
παλαιός Greek “old, ancient”

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